Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos

The Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos (GEES) is a Spanish private non-profit think tank founded in 1987 and headquartered in Madrid. It is composed of university professors and analysts from various backgrounds, mainly linked ideologically to the Partido Popular (PP). The organisation produces technical reports on security and defence, though its analyses gained broad media attention after the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Ideologically, GEES is described as centre-right and maintains close ties with US neoconservative foundations such as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). During the government of José María Aznar, key GEES analysts — including Florentino Portero, Ignacio Cosidó and Rafael Bardají — played a role analogous to that of George W. Bush's 'hawks' in shaping the Atlanticist orientation of Spanish foreign policy at the time. The group advocates modernisation and increased budgets for the Spanish Armed Forces, supports the continued existence of the Guantánamo detention camp, and promotes a conservative, economically liberal vision for Spain and Europe. GEES combines the production of technical reports on security and defence for governments and multinational companies with political dissemination through conservative newspapers such as ABC, La Razón, Época, La Gaceta de los Negocios, Libertad Digital, Brussels Journal in Brussels, and American Thinker, Pajamas Media, Semanario Atlántico and Diario de América in the United States. In recent years it has become a principal rival of the Real Instituto Elcano, from which several prominent members — including Bardají, Coma and Kern — departed and became critical of the institute's direction after the PSOE's 2004 general election victory. It has also had bitter confrontations with former Defence Minister José Bono, who labelled it a 'pseudo-religious sect'. Prominent members include Rafael Bardají (founder, former executive advisor to the Ministry of Defence in PP governments and director of international policy studies at FAES), Manuel Coma (president), Ignacio Cosidó (PP spokesperson on the Interior Committee), Florentino Portero (director of the area of Spanish foreign, security and defence policy), Óscar Elía Mañú (chief opinion editor and director of political thought), Carlos Ruiz Miguel (constitutional law and Maghreb), Emilio Campmany (international law), Soeren Kern (transatlantic relations), Ana Ortiz (immigration and internal security), among others.

The Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos (GEES) was founded in 1987 as a private non-profit organisation based in Madrid. It brought together university professors and analysts, many of whom were ideologically close to the Partido Popular. For its first years, GEES focused on producing technical reports on security and defence, maintaining a relatively academic profile. The group's public visibility increased significantly after the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when its analyses began to appear regularly in the media. During the government of José María Aznar, several GEES analysts — notably Florentino Portero, Ignacio Cosidó and Rafael Bardají — moved from academia to a more activist profile and played a role comparable to that of the 'hawks' in George W. Bush's administration in defining the Atlanticist stance of Spanish foreign policy. The group maintained close relations with US neoconservative foundations such as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). After the PSOE's victory in the 2004 general election, several prominent members left the Real Instituto Elcano — Bardají (until 2004 deputy director), Coma (until 2006 principal analyst for security and defence) and Kern (until 2007 principal analyst for transatlantic relations) — and became critical of the institute's new direction. GEES subsequently positioned itself as a principal rival of Elcano. The group also engaged in bitter confrontations with former Defence Minister José Bono, who described it as a 'pseudo-religious sect'. In the following years, GEES continued to combine technical report writing for governments and multinational companies with political dissemination through conservative media in Spain, Brussels and the United States. Its members have included specialists in various areas, from international law and transatlantic relations to immigration and constitutional law. The organisation remains active, publishing analyses and commentary on its website, including recent articles on European strategic blindness, comparative politics and political violence, and the 'Great Schism of the West'.

• 2007

  Soeren Kern leaves Real Instituto Elcano; GEES publishes 'Qué piensan los neocon españoles'.

• 2006

  Manuel Coma leaves Real Instituto Elcano.

• 2004

  Rafael Bardají leaves Real Instituto Elcano; GEES becomes its rival.

• 2003

  Further media prominence during the invasion of Iraq.

• 2001

  Analyses gain media attention after the September 11 attacks.

• 1987

  GEES founded as a private non-profit think tank in Madrid.

Centre-right think tank with a neoconservative and Atlanticist orientation, close to the Partido Popular and US neoconservative foundations.

• Technical reports on security and defence

• Political analysis articles

• Book: Qué piensan los 'neocon' españoles (2007)

1. 1GEES | Grupo de Estudios Estratégicosgees.org
2. 2Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos - Wikipediaes.wikipedia.org
3. 3Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos - Wikidatawikidata.org